Rugby Union Agrees Understanding with Betfair

Betfair announced today that the Rugby Football Union has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Betfair to monitor rugby betting, with the aim of ensuring the continued integrity of the sport. It is the seventeenth such agreement that Betfair has signed with sports regulatory bodies around the world.

As the leading betting exchange, Betfair is uniquely placed to monitor the rugby-betting market and to assist the regulatory bodies in cases of suspicious betting patterns. Betfair tracks all activity on its site and can provide detailed punter-information when required.

Betfair has witnessed a surge in the popularity of betting on rugby, reflecting general interest in the game at a time when attention turns to the Six Nations. A measure of how the sport has grown as a betting medium is that it is estimated that over 20,000 customers will place a bet on Betfair during the Six Nations Championship. Back in 2001 only 365 punters placed a bet on the same event, whilst in 2003 this figure stood at 6,500. Last year's phenomenal growth saw a 300% growth in traded volume and the number of people betting on the championship.

Betfair's Mark Davies said, "These agreements allow us to work closely with the sport's governing bodies. Allowing them access to the information we have is the best way to ensure that sport is kept free of illegal wagering. Betfair has no vested interest in the outcome of any event and our interests are absolutely in line with those who run the events. This is good news for the integrity of sport."

Paul Vaughan, RFU Commercial Director, added, "The Memorandum of Understanding will give us unprecedented access to detailed information concerning betting on our sport, should an issue arise. This will be a valuable tool in helping us maintain the integrity of Rugby Union in this country."